Arrangement for transforming the angular position of an adjustment member in contact combinations



Oct. 26, 1965 K. HORN ARRANGEMENT FOR TRANSFORMING THE ANGULAR POSITION OF AN ADJUSTMENT MEMBER IN CONTACT COMBINATIONS Filed June 27, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ooh com

Oct. 26, 1965 K. HORN ARRANGEMENT FOR TRANSFORMING THE ANGULAR POSITION OF AN ADJUSTMENT MEMBER IN CONTACT COMBINATIONS Filed June 27, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,214,752 ARRANGEMENT FOR TRANSFORMING THE AN- GULAR POSITION OF AN ADJUSTMENT MEM- BER IN CONTACT COMBINATIONS Klaus Horn, Karlsruhe, Germany, 'assignor to Siemens &

Halske Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin and Munich, Germany, a German corporation Filed June 27, 1963, Ser. No. 291,155 7 Claims. (Cl. 340-347) The invention disclosed herein is concerned with an arrangement for transforming the angular position of an adjustment member in contact combinations. I

The transformation of the angular position of the potentiometer tap of a self-balancing compensator in contact combinations enables the digital representation of an analog measurement value represented by means of the angular position. To this example of use, there can, however, also be added many others, for instance, examples applying to the remote measuring technique. When the measurement value represented by the angular position encompasses an extended range and when a high precision of measurement is required, the movement of the adjustment member can be stepped down for example by means of gearings. A plurality of wiper arms moved with the step-down speeds can move over a number of contact rows or banks equal to the number of Wiper arms. The contact banks then correspond to the place values of a numerical system, for instance to the units, tens, hundreds, etc., of the base-ten or decadic number system. The speeds are in this connection so graded that when the contact bank of lowest value has been completely scanned, the Wiper arm of the contact bank of next higher value is advanced by one contact. In such coding devices, naturally great importance is placed on definite, that is, unequivocal contacting and also definite transfer from a low-value contact bank to the next higher contact bank. In known arrangements, therefore, mechanical stopping means, corresponding to the individual contacts, was provided for the Wiper arms, or an intermittently operating gearing was provided. These means, however, entail a higher mechanical expenditure and furthermore, the devices for the driving thereof require a considerable torque.

It has also already been proposed to efiect instead of the mechanical stop control, an electrical switching between two contact segments which overlap each other. This switching is etfected upon the passage of the tap-ping member from one contact segment to the next following contact segment, by switching the voltage by relay means from one segment to the other. The relay responds as soon as the pick-up member contacts the adjacent contact segment. It is also known to develop this thought further by making the electrical actuation of the contacts of the contact banks of higher value dependent upon the position of the pick-up member in the preceding contact bank.

In a known arrangement operating in accordance with this principle, the pick-up member, hereinafter also called the wiper, upon contacting the contacts, directly connects the voltage outputs of the circuit. If these outputs carry load, burning-off will in time occur at the leading edges of the contacts, which reduces the precision of the coding system.

The switching-over between the overlapping contacts of the contact banks of higher value is in the known arrangement effected by a special relay which is controlled via two contact strips which extend along one half of the preceding bank of contacts. This type of control permits switching errors in the contact banks of higher value.

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The object of the invention is to eliminate the above noted sources of error.

This object is realized in connection with an arrangement for transforming the angular positions of an adjustment member in contact combinations with a plurality of contact banks or rows corresponding to the place values of a numerical system, which are scanned accordingly under specific speed conditions, the individual contacts of which banks or contacts overlap each other in cooperation with, in each case, two wipers for each bank of contacts, which wipers are connected mechanically with each other, but separated electrically from each other, and have a conductor bar for each wiper, successive contacts in one bank in the overlap region being each connected via a wiper with a separate one of the conductor bars, as well as a switching-over device which upon the wiper position covering the overlap range, switches the voltage of a source alternately from the one conductor bar to the other, and with a switching dependent on the wiper poistion in the immediately preceding contact bank of the conductive bars for the contact bank of next higher value.

In accordance with the invention, the switching-over device is controlled by means of a special control wiper which is mechanically coupled with the wipers of the bank of contacts corresponding to the lowest place value, said switching-over device being also operative to eifect the switching-over of the conductive bars of the following contact bank of higher value, via the contacts of the bank of contacts, corresponding in each case to a lower place value.

The special control wiper controls the switching-over between the conductor bars of the first bank of contacts in such a manner, that the wipers lie fully in engagement with the contacts before the switching-over is effected. It is possible in this way to obtain via the contacts and their wipers considerable output powers without burning (frying) occurring at the contacts. The entire arrangement thereby becomes insensitive to faults and retains its precision in the course of operation irrespective of the duration thereof. The measure of controlling the transfer into the higher-value contact banks via the lowermost contact bank, makes it possible to permit larger machining tolerances in the higher-value contact banks without the precision of the entire arrangement suffering thereby.

In an embodiment of the invention, the switching-over device may be a transistorized relay stage which can be controlled by means of an additional contact bank extending in parallel to the contact bank of lowest value and by an additional conductor bar which is connectable therewith via the control wiper. The switching-over device can, however, also be controlled by means of a control wiper which moves in advance over the contact bank of lowest value and which produces a conductive connection with an additional conductor bar only when the wiper to which switching-over is to be effected lies fully in engagement with the corresponding contact segment.

For the transfer of the next higher place value, each of the two conductor bars of a higher-value contact bank can be connected with a contact strip which in each case extends over half the length of the preceding contact bank. These contact strips are, via diodes, connected to the contacts of the preceding contact bank, by means of extensions on the two wipers. The same, purpose is served by a circuit variant inwhich one of the two conductor bars of a contact bank of higher value is connected via decoupling diodes with the first half of the contacts of the preceding bank. The other conductor bar is in the same manner connected with the second half of the contacts.

The relative movement between the wipers and contact banks can be so established that the wipers move on sta- 'tionary surfaces on which the contact banks are arranged. However, the wipers can also be stationary and thecontact banks and conductive bars be arranged on moved surfaces, for instance circular disks.

A particular simple and suitable coding device in accordance with the invention is obtained upon forming the 'wheels of a step-down gear between the corrective motor and the potentiometer tap of a self-balancing compensator, so as to form contact-bearing surfaces. The contacts and the conductive bars can be arranged on the gears in the manner of printed circuits.

Photoelectric contacts may be used instead of the electrically conductive contacts. For example, the contacts can be-arranged as light-permeable apertures on opaque disks. beams of light and photocells, instead of by wipers.

These apertures may be scanned by means of The contact banks or rows can correspond to the decadic numerical system or to any other desired numerical system, for instance a base-fourteen or tetrade system. Additional contacts at the start and end of a contact "bank can serve as limit value markings.

The various objects and features of the invention will i now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, each figure showing a basic diagram of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment comprising three banks 'or rows of contact arranged one above the other and cooperatively disposed conductor bars; and

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment. In FIG. 1, there are provided 3 banks E, Z, H of con- :tacts arranged one above the other and cooperatively disposed conductor bars.

They represent the units, tens and hundreds divisions of a coding system in the base-ten or decadic code in accordance with the invention.

In the units bank are provided two conductor bars A and B. They are alternately placed under voltage via the contact arm s which is controlled by the relay S. Two

1 wipers a and b, which are staggered with respect to each other, upon their movement along the conductor bars A A third control the control wiper g are fastened in common on an insulating wiperarm. Two further wipers d and d are conductively connected with the wipers a and b. They each I produce via adiode a conductive connection between the individual contacts of bank C and contact strips I and II of a bank 'D.

The contact strip I is arranged along the individual contacts to 4 of bank C. The second half of the individual contacts of bank C is accompanied by the contact strip II of bank D. The contact strips I and II represent control contacts for the tens-contact arrangement. the contact strip I is conductively connected with a conductor bar L and the contact strip II is conductively connected with a conductor bar M of the tens bank. The contacts 0 to 90 of one bank are connected by wipers n and l with the conductor bars M and L in a manner corresponding to the operation of the wipers of the units bank.

Wipers k and k connected via diodes with the wipers n and 1 respectively produce a connection between the tens contacts 0 to 90 and contact strips III and IV of a bank K which extends parallel thereto. The contact strips III and IV are in turn connected with conductor bars O and N of a hundreds system. The hundreds system has individual contacts from 0 to 900 in one bank P, which 'contacts can be connected by means of wipers o and n with the conductor bars 0 and N. Additional individual contacts in the bank P can be used as limit value contacts.

They are designated by the reference letters GU Accordingly, v

. contact paths.

and GO, and may, for example, be employed for indicating'minim'um and maximum limits'of the system, as "is known in the art.

FIG. 2 shows the contact scheme of a second embodiment of the invention. Individual parts serving the same purposes as in the embodiment in accordance With FIG. 1 are identically referenced. Differing from the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1, the control contacts of bank F are omitted in the embodiment in accordance With FIG. 2. Their place is taken by the units contacts 0 to 9 of bank C, Which are connected with the conductor bar G by a special control wiper g. The control wiper g is in this embodiment rigidly connected withthe wipers a and b, but it leads the latter by about one contact division. Upon running onto a contact, the control wiper g closes the energizing circuit of the relay S via a diode associated with each contact of the bank C. Its contact arm s applies the conductor bars A and B alternately to a source of voltage. A separate voltage source is provided for the energizing circuit for the relay S which circuit can be 'closed via the control wiper g. Another difference be- .tween the example of FIG. 2 and that of FIG. 1 resides in that the contact strips, designated with Roman numerals of the example shown in FIG. 1, are omitted in the second embodiment. Their place is taken by decoupling diode circuits, via which in each case half of the contacts of a preceding contact bank are connected to the conductor bars M and L, respectively, or N and 0 respectively of the following contact banks.

The operation of the invention will now be explained in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2.

As already mention, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 represent base-ten or decadic decoder devices,

I each having three decades. To each decade are allocated various wipers which are mechanically connected rigidly with each other to form a wiper arm. Each output contact of a decade can be connected to voltage via two different conductor bars A, B or M, L or N, 0 respectively. This is done by two wipers a and b or m, l or n, 0, respectively, which are spatially staggered with respect to each other. The wipers of each decade are arranged jointly upon a wiper arm for each decade, which wiper arms can move, for instance, on the circularly arranged Care is taken, by corresponding stepdown devices, for instance, by means of gears, that the wiper arm of the hundreds decade is, upon sweeping over the entire indicating range, moved once over the hundreds contact bank. The wiper arm of the tens decade then moves ten times over its contact bank and the wiper arm 50 contact bank assigned thereto.

of the units decade moves one hundred times over the Let us first consider the course of the switching in the units bank. Upon an increase in the measuring value, the output contacts 0 to 9 of the contact bank C are moved by the wipers from the zero position shown, from left to right. These contacts first receive voltage via the con- -tact arm s, the conductor bar B and the wiper b. The

relay S energizes as soon as the control wiper g establishes conductive connection between the control bar G and the first control contact of bank F. The width of the control contacts of bank F is so adapted to the width of the individual contacts of the bank C, that the relay S energizes only when the wiper b reliably and fully engages an individual contact and thus makes adefinite contact which no longer need be defined by an amplifier relay or an electronic switch. Upon further increase of the measured value and consequently continued motion of the wiper arm to the right, the wipers a and b will be in engagement with the same individual contact. If the control circuit over the conductor bar G, the wiper g and a control contact of a bank F is now interrupted, the relay "8' is de-energized since the control contacts are narrower than the individual contacts of bank C. The individual contact 0 is now connected to voltage only via the wiper a and the conductor bar A. Upon further tact without current and travels to the next. following contact in the contact bank C, namely, in the case considered, to the contact 1. However, it only carries voltage again when it fully engages the contact, since the relay S is only then again energized via the control wiper g, its contact arm s moving over from A to B. The two 1 Wipers a and b are so staggered with respect to each other that at this moment wiper a still lies fully on the preceding individual contact and becomes currentless in this condition by the shifting of the contact arm s. The passage from one output contact to the next of bank C, therefore takes place suddenly while the respective wipers are fully seated; in principle, only one individual contact can also be placed under voltage. Upon further movement of the wiper arm to the right, the wiper a remains without current until it rests on the new individual contact and the contact arm s again restores, since the circuit of the relay S has been again interrupted. If the wiper arm is moved in the reverse direction, the switching cycle takes place analogously, with inverse sequence of contacting and current conduction.

The fact that, when a unit contact is completely swept over, and that, with symmetrical construction of the Wipers, the conductor bar A is placed under voltage for about one half the width of a contact, while the conductor bar B is placed under voltage for the second half of the contact, the two conductor bars therefore conducting current alternately, and also the alternating switching condition of the relay S or of a corresponding electronic switch, can be utilized to provide two additional possibilities of indication. Accordingly, twenty positons can be dstinguished in the contact bank of lowest value.

It will therefore be seen that the resolving power of the encoder is increased to 2,000 units despite the subdivision in known manner, in 1,000 units. Thus, for instance, on the number board of a decadic encoder, there can be indicated in addition, to the right of the decimal point, 0 and tenths, respectively.

In order to also obtain dependable transfers in accordance with the same principle, in the tens decade Z, the wiper arm of the units decade is provided with two additional wipers d and d These wipers transfer, via decoupling diodes, the voltage of the individual contacts of bank C to conductor bars M and L respectively of the tens decade. For this purpose, the wipers d and d respectively pass over contact strips I and II. These contact strips are so arranged that in the cases in which the individual contacts 0 to 4 are under voltage, the left contact strip I of bank D is under voltage. When the individual contacts 5 to 9 are under voltage, the right contact strip II is under this voltage via the wipers d and d If the wiper arm associated with the units decade lies approximately in the center of the decade, then the two contacts In and l definitely lie in the tens decade on one of the tens contacts 0 to 90. As long as the contact strip I of the units decade carries voltage, the wiper 1 receives voltage via the conductor bar L. The contact strip II also receives voltage if the output signal jumps, upon further movement of the wiper arm of the units decade, from 4 to 5. The assumed contact of the hundreds decade thus receives voltage via the conductor bar M and the wiper m. The wiper I can meantime travel without current to the next higher individual contact of the tens decade. Upon further increase in the measurement value, at the moment when the initial value in the units decade jumps from contact 9 to contact 0, contact strip I is again under voltage, while contact strip II becomes without voltage. The conductor bar L thus again carries voltage which is fed to the next higher individual contact of bank I which is fully covered by the wiper l in the tens decade. The transfer to the hundreds decade takes place similarly via the contact strips III and IV of the tens decade.

The transfers (carryovers) are therefore necessarily "positively controlled'by the advance in the wiper arm of the units decade, taking place unequivocally in all high decades and at the very moment when a jump from contact '9 to contact 0 or vice versa takes place in. the units decade. All wipers. then lie fully in engagement with the respective individual contacts. The switching power is I obtained via the contact arm s of the control relay S.

Diode decouplingv circuits corresponding to the example of FIG. 2 can be used instead of the control contacts, contact strips and conductor bars of banks F, D and G. Their manner of operation is readily apparent from the previous explanation. The decoupling circuits with diodes reduce the mechanical expenditure and increase the dependability of operation.

If desired, an electronic switch may be used in place of the electromagnetic relay S. High setting speeds of the device are thereby made possible, and the danger that a current-conducting wiper contact is interrupted would be avoided.

In order to make the contact load the same in all decades, the conductor bars M and L which are controlled by the contact strips I and II, can be placed under voltage via a relay or an electronic switch. The same procedure can be employed in the higher decades.

In order to decrease the mechanical expenditures, two decades can, for instance, be swept by the same wiper arm. The subdividing of the low decade should in this case be made ten times smaller than the subdivision of the higher decades.

Changes may be made within the scope and spirit of the appended claims which define what is believed to be new and desired to have protected by Letters Patent.

I claim:

1. In an arrangement for transforming the angular position of an adjusting member in contact combinations including a plurality of contact banks corresponding to the places of a numerical system, which contact banks are scanned under given conditions of speed, each bank having a pair of wipers which are electrically separated from each other, but mechanically connected with each other and cooperable in their wiping movement to form overlapping ranges wherein the pair of wipers respectively engage successive contacts, and having a conductor bar for each wiper, successive contacts of such bank in the overlapping range being respectively connected via one of the wipers with a separate one of the conductor bars, and having a switch-over device for switching the voltage of a source alternately from one conductor bar to the other when the wiper positions cover an overlap range, wherein the switching of the conductor bars for the contact bank of next higher value is dependent on the wiper position in the corresponding preceding contact bank, the improvement which comprises a special control wiper for controlling the switch-over device, said control wiper being mechanically coupled with the wipers of the contact bank corresponding to the lowest place value, said switch-over device being also operative, in cooperation with the contacts of the contact bank corresponding to a low place value, to switch the conductor bars of the following contact bank of higher value.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the switch-over device is controlled by means of an additional contact bank which extends parallel to the contact bank of lowest place value and by means of an additional conductor bar which can be connected therewith via the control wiper.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the switch-over device is controlled by means of a control wiper which moves in advance on the contact bank of lower place value and connects it with an additional conductor bar.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each of the two conductor bars of a higher place value contact bank is connected with a corresponding contact strip which occupies half the length of the preceding contact these contact strips via diodes to the contacts of the preceding contact bank.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein one of the two conductor bars of a higher place value contact bank is connected with the first half of the contacts of the preceding bank, while the other conductor bar is connected with the second half of the contacts via decoupling diodes.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said Wipers are stationary and wherein the contact banks and conductor bars are arranged for motion relative thereto.

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising output terminal means for each of the two conductor bars of the contact bank of lowest value.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,976,525 3/61 Bossung 340-347 1 MALCOM A. MORRISON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN ARRANGEMENT FOR TRANSFORMING THE ANGULAR POSITION OF AN ADJUSTING MEMBER IN CONTACT COMBINATIONS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CONTACT BANKS CORRESPONDING TO THE PLACES OF A NUMERICAL SYSTEM, WHICH CONTACT BANKS ARE SCANNED UNDER GIVEN CONDITIONS OF SPEED, EACH BANK HAVING A PAIR OF WIPERS WHICH ARE ELECTRICALLY SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER, BUT MECHANICALLY CONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER AND COOPERABLE IN THEIR WIPING MOVEMENT TO FORM OVERLAPPING RANGES WHEREIN THE PAIR OF WIPERS RESPECTIVELY ENGAGE SUCCESSIVE CONTACTS, AND HAVING A CONDUCTOR BAR FOR EACH WIPER, SUCCESSIVE CONTACTS OF SUCH BANK IN THE OVERLAPPING RANGE BEING RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED VIA ONE OF THE WIPERS WITH A SEPARATE ONE OF THE CONDUCTOR BARS, AND HAVING A SWITCH-OVER DEVICE FOR SWITCHING THE VOLTAGE OF A SOURCE ALTERNATELY FROM ONE CONDUCTOR BAR TO THE OTHER WHEN THE WIPER POSITIONS COVER AN OVERLAP RANGE, WHEREIN THE SWITCHING OF THE CONDUCTOR BARS FOR THE CONTACT BANK OF NEXT HIGHER VALUE IS DEPENDENT ON THE WIPER POSITION IN THE CORRESPONDING PRECEDING CONTACT BANK, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A SPECIAL CONTROL WIPER FOR CONTROLLING THE SWITCH-OVER DEVICE, SAID CONTROL WIPER BEING MECHANICALLY COUPLED WITH THE WIPERS OF THE CONTACT BANK CORRESPONDING TO THE LOWEST PLACE VALUE, SAID SWITCH-OVER DEVICE BEING ALSO OPERATIVE, IN COOPERATING WITH THE CONTACTS OF THE CONTACT BANK CORRESPONDING TO A LOW PLACE VALUE, TO SWITCH THE CONDUCTOR BARS OF THE FOLLOWING CONTACT BANK OF HIGHER VALUE. 